Using chopsticks was second nature to me, but it was a struggle for Old Ma and Lenny. The aroma of the dumplings made the two of them, who had been feasting on fish and meat all day along with milk and eggs, drool. But their hands just wouldn''t cooperate. Old Ma fumbled for a long time and didn''t manage to get a single dumpling into his mouth, so in the end, he had to grab them with his hands.


    I asked Boss Chen to give them two spoons and shook my head, saying, "Eating Chinese food requires patience, just like being a person."


    Old Ma ignored me and ate half a bowl of dumplings in one breath, exclaiming how delicious they were. He took off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and told Boss Chen to serve him another bowl.


    "Andre, what exactly did you want to see me about today? Dumplings?" Old Ma wiped the sweat from his forehead.


    "Of course it''s not that simple, but it''s similar to eating dumplings," I put down my chopsticks and whispered to Old Ma, "Some people are scheming behind the scenes to bring down Lehmer and take me down along with him. Do you know about this?"


    Old Ma shook his head.


    "There are also those who turn a blind eye to evil. Do you know about that?" I sneered.


    Old Ma continued shaking his head, munching on his dumplings.


    I sighed, "Sigh, some people are too impatient. Where do they think these dumplings are eaten? If you eat them so quickly, you''ll choke. Bringing down Universal will only make Paramount and the others stronger. In the end, you''ll suffer."


    Old Ma burst out laughing and pointed at me, "You kid, just speak plainly. Yes, I originally wanted to stand by and watch the show, and maybe scoop up some benefits, but there''s nothing wrong with that. That''s how Hollywood works."


    "You finally admit it! And you said you were on a business trip! When you were hiding in some corner of MGM, did you ever think of me, or did you ever think that my DreamWorks might go bankrupt?!" Seeing Old Ma admit it so shamelessly, I was fuming.


    Old Ma laughed heartily and pinned me to the chair, "Andre, why are you still acting like a child? To tell you the truth, I''m interested in you, and even more interested in Lehmer''s Universal. If Universal goes down, I can make a fortune. As for your DreamWorks, it''s just a few people renting a shabby yard. I''ve already thought about it. If your company goes bankrupt, I''ll bring you over. Don''t worry, MGM will definitely not treat you badly!"


    "Andre, Dad was telling the truth. He even talked to Uncle Mayer about reserving the position of the first director for you," Lenny said to me with an embarrassed look.


    "I''ll deal with you later!" I glared at her fiercely, then roared at Old Ma, "Thanks for your kindness! You really have a wild imagination!"


    Old Ma shamelessly stuffed food into his mouth and mumbled, "Oh, I just didn''t expect it. You kid are so capable. Not only did you bring out antiques like Griffith and Porter, but you also landed a beautiful straight punch. You even managed to tame the bishop. You made a fortune and pulled Lehmer out of the mud. Andre, you''re now reaping both fame and wealth, living in glory."


    "Don''t flatter me! You know the current situation better than anyone. I''m asking you, what are you going to do?" Seeing him like that, I wanted to pick up a dish in front of me and throw it at his face full of vegetables.


    Old Ma smacked his lips, "What should I do? Aren''t you out of the woods now, sleeping with gold coins? Why do you still ask me?"


    "You''re something, Old Ma! Let me tell you, if Atken and the others win, the strength of the five major companies will definitely increase significantly, especially Paramount. What''s the relationship between Chu Ke and you? Everyone in Hollywood knows. I can''t guarantee that he won''t target you next. I''m here to ask you, which side are you really on?" I laid my cards on the table with Old Ma.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Old Ma didn''t expect me to be so direct. He put away his smile and looked at me seriously.


    Lenny was anxious on the side, shaking his arm vigorously.


    "Andre! I''m so disappointed in you! Don''t you understand my feelings?! And you ask which side I''m on!? Go to MGM''s cinema now and see, your ''Lust, Caution'' has been screening since 7 o''clock in the evening!" Old Ma roared.


    "Really?" I was all smiles, blinking my eyes.


    "What do you think?!" Old Ma replied irritably and continued eating his dumplings.


    "Andre, Dad instructed Uncle Mayer to screen ''Lust, Caution'' across the board before he came," Lenny whispered to me.


    Seeing the little girl''s sincere face, I finally believed that Old Ma had done something good. I quickly put on a smiling face and said to Old Ma, "Then I misunderstood you. Hehehe."


    Old Ma rolled his eyes, "What are you grinning about? I have conditions!"


    "What conditions?" My heart sank.


    Old Ma burped and pointed to the empty bowl in front of him, "Damn, these dumplings are delicious! At least two bowls!"


    During this meal, Old Ma ate two and a half bowls of dumplings, his belly as big as a drum. When he left, he shamelessly took a takeout, which of course was charged to my account. With this meal of dumplings, MGM''s big flag finally turned to our side. Watching Old Ma''s car disappear at the corner of Harvey Street, I couldn''t hold back my excitement anymore and laughed loudly to the sky.


    The addition of more than 5,000 MGM theaters greatly strengthened our side''s strength and confidence, making the power of the two sides in Hollywood basically balanced (in fact, Chu Ke and the others were still a bit stronger than us).


    On July 23rd, "The Civil War" officially premiered, and this war without smoke of gunpowder finally broke out.


    Since both "Lust, Caution" and "The Civil War" were set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, newspapers and radio stations referred to Atken''s side as the South and our side as the North. It is said that this name comes from the fact that Atken''s company is basically located in the south of Hollywood, while the factory addresses of our companies are basically in the north. But I like this division, calling it the lucky north.


    Taking "Lust, Caution" as a reference, the South launched a huge publicity campaign. Advertisements appeared in newspapers and magazines, news was broadcast on the radio, and special people were sent to the streets to distribute flyers. The main creators of the film also went to the streets, claiming to "integrate with the audience." Two days after the screening of "The Civil War," Chu Ke organized a large number of well-known film critics to write reviews praising their film. However, the most influential among these critics was just Ni Si Fengguo.


    As for us, we didn''t bother with such efforts. We only did one thing, which was to announce to the public that any audience who bought a ticket for "Lust, Caution" might win a prize by presenting the ticket, and the prize was a free trip to Paris for a week with Miss Julie.


    This idea was of course mine, but the result was beyond my expectations. In this era of Hollywood, award-winning public relations was novel, not to mention the tempting prize. Coupled with the high reputation of "Lust, Caution," the north''s cinema doors were crowded with people.


    At the same time, newspapers began to feature people who contradicted Ni Si Fengguo. Some of them were at my instigation, such as Griffith and the people he influenced, while others wrote articles on their own initiative. They cursed Leibes Piery for using an investment of 2 million to make a second-rate film with a clichéd story, outdated techniques, and actors'' performances that were artificial. What made many people even more unbearable was that the film extremely distorted the image of Southerners, portraying them as fat fools who could only lose battles.


    As a result, Leibes Piery''s situation became extremely embarrassing. If there was no "Lust, Caution" before, or if his film was not themed around the Civil War, or if the bosses of Hollywood did not deliberately compare his film with "Lust, Caution," this film might still be passable, at least the profit would not be a problem.


    However, with "Lust, Caution," which cost 100,000 dollars and received unanimous praise across the country, his "passable" film with a cost of 2 million dollars seemed unacceptable.


    Not only was the film industry full of criticism, but academia and religious circles also severely criticized it. More than ten southern states even jointly protested against the film for distorting history and disfiguring the image of Southerners. People even surrounded the cinemas screening "The Civil War" and threw stones and eggs.


    The situation developed to the point where it even alarmed the federal government. The Minister of Culture ordered Hayes, the head of the "Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America" at that time, to recall all the copies of "The Civil War" and re-edit them before the end of July, otherwise, the film would not be allowed to be broadcast.


    The difficulties I encountered before have now come full circle, and it''s the Southern camp''s turn.